Alligator Sky
by 2theSky
Summary: No one ever said being the Renegade would be easy...


**"Where was I when the rockets came to life and carried you away into the alligator sky? Even though I'll never know what's up ahead,**  
**I'm never letting go- I'm never letting go!..."**

* * *

Beck sighed. This light cycle... it was ready to fall to cubes in his hands.

He stared at it, thinking... so this was how Able was getting back at him for missing work the last three cycles...

"I had good reason though..." he mumbled, Beck sighed again, realizing Able wouldn't take that news well. At all.

* * *

**"Remember to breathe, 'cause it'll take your breath away when the engines cough and you blast off- ignite the night with a firecracker flash..."**

* * *

Beck set down Bodhi's recoding tool, the screams of the crowd in the Coliseum still echoing endlessly; he hadn't managed to get his still aching body to reach sleep mode yet. Maybe tonight-

no, that wasn't going to happen either. He had training again.

So... no sleep.

* * *

**"Remember to live, 'cause you're gonna be thrilled to death when the stars collide and your eyes grow wide. Take it in with your breath against the glass..."**

* * *

His blue visor slipped off his face, vanishing into nothing, along with the guards on his arms; immediately, Beck covered his fatigue as Able walked over, offering him a hand up from working under the light cycle. "Beck? Are you sure you're alright?"

Beck nodded weakly, trying to keep the world in focus. Everything kept spinning between the Coliseum, training, and work...

"You're not very convincing," Able gently rebuked, watching as Beck swayed on his feet. He looked exhausted.

* * *

**"Remember to dream because it's gonna be a starry night over every town, if you look down. So harmonize with the singing satellites..."**

* * *

Beck just nodded again, not wanting to slip up this early; he had to be able to prove he was worthy of being the Renegade, worthy of being Tron's successor! And letting Able know... no one could find out.

He was relieved when Able turned and left, muttering something about tomorrow's schedule. Beck sighed. No doubt he'd be missing work again... and making up the shift again... and wanting to just pass out into an endless sleep mode...

again.

* * *

**"Remember to scream because you're gonna be lost for words ****when the sparks erupt and they light you up. ****Dip your toes in the galaxy 'cause it's yours to explore tonight..."**

* * *

...

* * *

Beck stumbled into his room, falling onto the bed. He had to leave to train, but sitting down for a little while wouldn't hurt. He wouldn't be late, at least, not drastically. And if Tron asked, he could say Able had kept him a little longer... that wouldn't completely be a lie, or a lie at all; Able had kept him longer than ever before.

"He probably thinks I'm just... I don't even know," Beck muttered, standing up after a few moments, not too thrilled to be back on his feet. He grabbed his baton off his bed where he'd sat it as he flopped down and stared at it. Hopefully, Tron only wanted to spar. He wasn't up to handling really falling over a cliff to his death again.

* * *

**"Where was I when the rockets came to life and carried you away into the alligator sky? Even though I'll never know what's up ahead, I'm never letting go- I'm never letting go!..."**

* * *

...

* * *

Beck fell onto his bed, his eyes sliding closed. He wasn't sure how many times Tron's knee had met his stomach, or Tron's fists got reacquainted with his jaw, or Tron decided to trip him or dropkick him...

but now...

Able had told him to rest. Rest. Take the whole cycle off.

Beck grinned. As his eyes finally closed, his legs dangling off the side of his bed, the sheets which had been untouched for petrocycles falling around his ankles and his pillow behind his head and back and shoulder, which wasn't exactly the most comfortable, but Beck was in sleep mode before he could care.

* * *

**"Rollercoaster through the atmosphere- I'm drowning in this starry serenade. Where ecstasy becomes cavalier- my imagination's taking me away..."**

* * *

...

* * *

The top of the garage provided one of the best views in Argon.

One that Beck was taking advantage of.

Yes, he still felt half asleep, but at least he could make it through a couple cycles without falling over in exhaustion. His brown eyes, slightly clouded with pain from his last training session and a dull ache from a lack of energy and sleep, glanced around, taking in the orange orbs of Recognizers far overhead, taking in the cityscape glowing bright blue, and the light rail weaving its way around the city, twisting and turning...

And then Beck stared up at the sky, finding one empty spot without a single Recognizer flooding his field of vision. He grinned like an idiot, mumbling to himself, "Well... I'm half asleep, I'm the hero of the Grid's successor, and I'm now Able's least favorite..." he laughed shaking his head almost in insanity.

* * *

**"Reverie whisper in my ear- I'm scared to death that I'll never be afraid. Rollercoaster through the atmosphere- my imagination's taking me away..."**

* * *

Beck closed his eyes, raising his knees so he could warp his arms around his legs. He reopened his eyes, then stared in the direction of the park, where Bodhi had been derezzed so short a time ago. "And Bodhi's gone, too... I'm pretty sure Zed and Mara hate me for disappearing."

And then he shifted his gaze over to the Coliseum. "I wonder how far Cutler got. I hope he's alright."

* * *

**"...And remember to laugh 'cause you're living in a crazy world where you'll never guess what could happen next. Give the outer limits my regards as you float to fly away..."**

* * *

He looked down through one of the many see-through panels of glass and code covering and creating the garage. He saw Able walking around, supervising. He could see Zed talking to Dash, Copper and Link, probably about the Renegade. Mara wasn't too far from them, working on a light jet.

Beck stared at Bodhi's empty workspace, not a single program touching it... yet. Able would have to find a replacement.

* * *

**"Where was I when the rockets came to life and carried you away into the alligator sky? Even though I'll never know what's up ahead, I'm never letting go- I'm never letting go!..."**

* * *

Beck looked back up at the city and bit his lip. The last few cycles had only served in making him asleep on his feet, the successor to the hero of the Grid who was rumored to be dead, sad over losing his friend, a history-maker in the Games, hated by his friends for missing a few shifts...

* * *

**"...in the alligator sky..."**

* * *

It was ridiculous.

* * *

**"...in the alligator sky..."**

* * *

But Beck just smiled and mumbled the exact words he'd told Tron when Tron questioned his loyalty to the Uprising after the whole blasted Games incident, smiling as he softly said, "I know there are going to be setbacks and also victories. But I guess that's okay- as long as we keep fighting, and never lose hope."

* * *

**"...in the alligator sky."**

* * *

_-i got this posted sooner than i thought! yay! :D_

_and, if anyone cares, our high school got mentioned on the Roll Call on CNN Student News this week! :) my teacher was so happy, and everyone spent the whole day talking about how awesome it was! :) and then Carl Azuz, the guy in charge of the student news, replied to me on Twitter! :) _

_have an awesome day, guys! :) God bless! :)_

_(lyrics from Owl City "Alligator Sky")_


End file.
